Shadowed Time
by YellowRosesAndDragons
Summary: Slight AU: Sam, Dean, and John awake after being attacked by Daevas and find themselves in the future. Unfortunately, they find themselves stuck there, with no obvious way to return. On top of that, they can't seem to help but notice that their future selves are hiding a few things... (Time Travel fic: 1.16 Shadow, 10.3 Soul Survivor) Gen.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello Internet! I love time travel fics and so I decided to write one myself! Please leave reviews, follows, or favorites, because feedback is always important to me, even if it's bad. Hope you enjoy!**  
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 **Summary:** Sam, Dean, and John are taken from the episode _Shadows_ and transported to the future (end of the episode _Soul Survivor_ ). The older Dean has just been changed back from a demon, but still has the mark.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Supernatural.

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 **Lebanon, Kansas, 2014**

There is an underground room in the middle of Kansas, and three men can be found there. The first man is tall. Incredibly tall. He is wearing a cast that covers his arm and the weight of the world on his shoulders. It hurts a little bit to look at him, because on his face lays an expression of pain and worry so profound that it bites icy cold, and one cannot help but tremble at a look such as that. The second man in the room is shorter (though is not short), wears a tan trenchcoat, and has an aura of awkwardness and power that should be a contradiction, and yet oddly suits him. The second man's face is a mixture of worry and fierce loyalty that might make one wonder what someone could do to achieve loyalty that strong and fierce. The third man has dark blonde hair and a pair of liquid black eyes that are set in a handsome face. This man is sitting, tied to a chair, and after a moment the blackness of his eyes evaporate and the evilness that had surrounded him is replaced by a deep-seated goodness. He says something to the other two men, and they share a look a relief. It is finally over. The first and second men rush to untie the ropes that bound him to the chair, and Dean Winchester walks freely, human again. His brother Sam and the angel Castiel follow him, and both are thankful that the nightmare that is the demonized Dean was finally over. They leave the room, returning to the levels above, and no one notices the blindingly white light that fills the room just seconds after they leave.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello internet! New Chapter! Hope you enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do n** **ot own Supernatural!**

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 **Lebanon, Kansas, 2014**

Dean remembered everything. Every part of his stint as a demon was etched into his memory, and it made him want to throw up. He remembered everything in excruciating detail. If he concentrated, he could feel blood on his hands, the taste of whiskey in his throat, and the fear-inducing tingle of power that inevitably accompanied being a knight of Hell. Mostly, of course, he remembered Sam. God, he had tried to kill Sam! He had given up everything time and time again just to keep his brother alive, and then he almost... And it was him. That demon, that _thing_ was all him. All the mark of Cain had done was just twist what was already there into something horrible and wrong, and had given him demonic strength.

He shuddered. He had to think of something else, anything else, but this. He'd go insane if he didn't. He looked down at the pictures in his hands and smiled. This one was his favorite. Sam was laughing at something he said, one of those huge guffaws that he used to laugh way back when he was younger. God, he probably hadn't seen a laugh like that outta Sam since before their dad went missing all those years ago. God, _Dad_. What would he think of him now? What would he think of what he'd became? He'd probably-

A knock sounded from the door, shaking Dean from his thoughts. he shoved the pictures under a book lying on the nightstand next to him. "Yeah?" he said and winced slightly. His voice sounded rough even to him.

"You look terrible," Cas admonished as he walked through the door. Dean chuckled lightly.

"You know, it wouldn't kill you to lie every now and again."

"No," said Cas. "I just... you-"

Dean smiled inwardly. "Forget it." Some things never change, and Cas would likely always take things just a little too literally. Speaking of Cas, he looked... well. Healthier, anyway. "You, on the other hand, looking good. So, are you back?"

"At least temporarily. Yeah, It's a long story. Crowley-" Cas paused and furrowed his brows. Cas' eyes widened. "Something's happening. Follow me, and hurry," he directed before rushing off down the hallway.

"Cas, what-" Dean said as he chased Cas down to the dungeon. "Cas!" he said, frustrated. "What the hell is going on?"

"Something has shifted in the balance of the Universe," Cas explained matter-of-fact as they reached the dungeon floors. See Dean's confused look, he continued. "The universe is similar to a spider web in that every thing is connected, and every detail matters. If something doesn't happen like its supposed to, then the whole thing falls apart. If, however a spider were to come along and fix the mistake, such as a broken strand, by replacing it with a new strand..." Cas trailed off, eyes squinting at a shelf in the tightly packed dungeon. Dean looked around, trying to see what had caught the angel's attention, but found nothing. "What is it, Cas?"

"Whenever anything supernatural happens, there's a backlash of supernatural energy. The stronger the supernatural event and people involved, the stronger the backlash of energy is. It's there to keep the universe balanced, and normally, nobody even knows it's there. Unfortunately, some people have found out about it over the years, and have tried to harness it for power. This could be catastrophic and break the metaphorical spider web strand. However, the universe has its own 'spider' built in to fix the web. Every time but once, these people didn't succeed in anything but killing themselves and destoying the mechanism with which they were attempting to use to harness it. However, once some couple hundred years ago, a coven of witches tried and succeeded to create seven chrystal spheres to control the energy. They were all killed in the first attempt, so while it worked, none of them got to use it more than the initial attempt that killed them." Cas explained hurriedly. "The crystals amplified and pushed out the energy, causing it to be stronger than before. The angels were able to fix it easily, though, because even if the energy was stronger than it was before, it was still very weak as the witches themselves played very minor parts in the grand schme of the universe. The angels took the crystals and destroyed them by scattering their atoms across the universe. Unfortunately, one of the witches some how managed to hide one of them, and the angels never found it."

"Okay, but what does hat have anything to so with what's happening now?" Dean asked, confused.

"The crystals power of amplification is directly proportional to the importance of the supernatural event that is taking place. If, say, a knight of Hell were to be changed back to human who also happens to be Dean Winchester- vessel of Michael and extremely influential hunter, well that would cause a huge supernatural backlash. If the backlash were to be amplified by one of the crystals, it would most definitely break one of the 'strands'. And," Cas pulled a small, 3-inch ball out from one of the many shelves lining the walls of the dungeon. "Here is what seems to be the last of the crystals. It looks like one of the men of letters found it and stored it here."

"So that's it? The end of the universe?!" Dean exclaimed.

"No, no. But something is coming. I don't know what and we'll likely not know until it gets here." Cas said to Dean's relief. Dean opened his mouth to say something when a bright light filled the room. Cas and Dean squeazed tight their eyes. When finally the light died down, three more figures lay on the floor, broken, bloody, and completely unconscious. Dean recognized them immediately. There, on the floor, lay John Winchester, and a younger Sam and Dean.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello All! Here is the next chapter. Thank you _so_ much to those of you who reviewed, followed, or favorited. I love you all bunches! Hope you enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Supernatural.

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 **Chicago, Illinois, 2006**

John walked into the hotel room, thoughts and emotions swirling around in his head like storm. He had raced to Chicago after discovering the boys were in trouble, and had arrived at an abandoned warehouse just in time to see the body of a young woman fall to her death. From there, he had went to the hotel he knew his boys were staying in, and waited for them to return. John looked out of the window, and rubbed his hand across his face. If his sons weren't as good at hunting as they were, they could've been killed. Hell, if they weren't as _lucky_ as they were...

He sighed. There was nothing he could do. If he had known when the boys were younger that training the boys would lead to this he would never had done it. The hunting life, while important to saving people, too often led to early and tragic deaths. But the past was the past. There was nothing he could do to change it. All he could do was live in the present, and prepare for the future.

"...Better safe than sorry," he heard Sam mumble. That's his boy. Always be prepared, just like he trained him. He heard the lock unclick and the door open.

"Hey!" Dean shouted. John turned away from the window, and stepped out of the shadows. "Dad," Dean said quietly.

"Hey boys," John said softly, a quiet smile on his face. His sons were bloody, dirty, and exhausted, but he was so glad to see them. He walked forward and closed the distance between him and his eldest, hugging Dean with all he had. After a moment he pulled away and turned to the younger brother.

"Hi Sam."

Sam pulled his duffle of of his shoulder and said, "Hey Dad."

Dean looked between John and his brother. "Dad it was a trap," Dean explained. "I didn't know, I'm sorry."

John looked at his son, heard the sincerity in his voice. "S'alright. I thought it might've been."

"Were you there?" Dean questioned.

"Yeah, just in time to see the girl take the swan dive," He confirmed. "She was the bad guy, right?"

"Yes, sir," his sons answered together.

John nodded. "Good. Well, it doesn't surprise me. It's tried to stop me before."

Sam furrowed his eyebrows slightly. "The demon has?"

"It knows I'm close. It knows I'm gonna kill it. Not just exorcise it, or send it back to Hell, but actually kill it."

"How?" Dean asked.

John smiled, famous Winchester dimples showing. "I'm working on that."

"Then let us come with you," said Sam as he nodded toward his brother. "We'll help."

John shook his head. "No, Sam," He said. See the unhappiness in his youngest's eyes he continued. "Try to understand, Sam. This demon is serious. I don't want you caught in the cross-fire. I don't want you hurt."

"You don't have to worry about us," countered Sam, hoping to convince his father.

"Of course I do. I'm your father," John breathed. "Listen Sammy, last time we were together we had one hell of a fight."

"Yes sir," confirmed Sam.

John smiled softly. "It's good to see ya again. S'been a long time."

"Too long," Sam agreed. They both stepped forward to hug each other, and though they would never admit it, there were the beginnings of tears in their eyes. Both men stepped back, turning away briefly to remove any sign of tears.

John smiled and opened his mouth before he was thrown back by an invisible force. He could see his sons being attacked by nothing but shadows. Suddenly, a white hot pain attacked his chest, Sam yelled something incomprehensible, the world became white, and he knew no more.

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 **Lebanon, Kansas, 2014**

Castiel squinted at the three men that lay before them. They looked like John, Sam, and Dean from the past, but he had to be sure. He furrowed his brows and looked past their bodies, and into their souls. He immediately knew it was them. John had no demonic taint or angel grace in his soul, and while it was far from pure, it was definitely human. Sam's he was familiar with. His soul was whole and healthy, or would be if not for the slight bit of darkness that lingers around the edges. Finally, Dean's soul was the most obvious to him. It shined like no other- the righteous man before Hell mangled him.

Dean looked at him, silently questioning if they were who they looked to be. He nodded. "We should get these looked at," Dean said, nodding at the obviously bloody men. Cas nodded and prepared to heal them, when he noticed it. Though they were bloody, he could not find any reason for it. They had no injuries to speak of.

"There is nothing to heal." said Cas.

Dean looked at him, confused. "What do you mean, there's nothing to heal? Look at them! There all... bloody. Oh. _Oh_ ," Dean realized, finally noticing the apparent lack of injuries.

"They must have been healed somehow in their journey here."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, speaking of that, why are they here? I mean, why _them_ specifically?"

Castiel looked thoughtful for a moment. "There is a chance that because the original source of the supernatural energy came from you, it attached itself to your thoughts and emotions. I doubt the amplifier helped much," Cas said. "Were you thinking of anything that might have connected them to you?"

Dean seemed to ponder that for a moment then nodded. Cas knew better than to ask what it was that brought them back. Though he didn't quite understand humans, he knew that Dean was a very private person and would not appreciate the prying.

"So they've time traveled? They're me and Sam from the past? Before Hell?" Dean asked, a slightly pained look in his eyes.

"Yes, I think so." Cas thought he might have heard Dean mutter 'awesome' sarcastically under his breath. He seemed tense for a second, then sighed.

"We should probably move them out of here. If they wake up in a cell, they're limely to lash out. This is going to be hard enough without anything else to add to it," Dean advised. Cas agreed. The two men walked forward, and got to work.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello Everyone! I am really excited for you all to read this chapter. Thank you so mich to all of you who reviewed, favorited, followed, or even just read** ** _Shadowed Time_** **. I cannot thank you enough, it means the world to me! Also, I'd** **just like to also say I do not own Supernatural! Without further ado, Chapter 4!**

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~SPN~

Sam pulled the Impala into the bunker's garage and parked. For a few moments when he was driving the car and going about his business, he could almost pretend that the last few months never happened. He could pretend that Dean was never turned into a demon, that he didn't leave Sam, and that he wasn't in the probably brooding in the bunker right now, thinking over things he shouldn't. But, alas, this was the reality of the situation and he'd try to make the best of it. He sighed and got out of the car, ready to go deal with whatever await him inside.

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In a way, Sam prided himself in having experienced the weird. He had been to Hell, fought off the devil himself, been stuck in a time loop set up by an archangel turned trickster, and had even read his own life story written by a prophet of the lord. So understandably not many things phased him. When Dean told him what had happened in the hour and half he was gone (to get groceries, of all things), he was shocked. Sure, he had been through a lot of weird things, but meeting his past self? Not so much.

He sighed and rolled his eyes. Whatever. They'd deal with the problem best they could, just like always. "Where are they?" he asked.

"I put them in seperate bedrooms next to ours," Dean answered.

"Why? Don't you think they'll freak out when they can't find each other?"

"Maybe. This way though, they won't leave. I figured even if things have calmed down some, there are still a crap ton of people who'd like to get their hands on young, inexperienced Winchesters," replied Dean.

"Good point. We should probably be there when they wake up, just to explain things," said Sam. Dean nodded in agreement. "Maybe you take Dad, I'll take Dean, and Cas can take me?"

"Yeah, that sounds good. It's gonna be bad enough when they realize where they are. Seeing your future self right when they wake up... Yeah that wouldn't be great," Dean replied.

Sam nodded in agreement. "Alright. Let's tell Cas and go wait for our past selves to wake up," he paused. "Dude, our lives are so weird."

Dean snorted. Sam smiled and watched him leave to go talk to Cas. He turned around and headed toward his younger older brother.

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John woke up slowly. He was on a bed, a very comfortable bed that was nicer than any motel bed he had ever slept in. The lighting in the room was somewhat dim, bright enough to comfortably sit and also sleep in. John blinked sluggishly and shifted, trying to remember how he got there. Oh yeah, he was with his boys... and they were talking... before they were attacked! He jolted and prepared to get up when-

"I was wondering when you were gonna wake up," a voice said. It was very familiar, yet different somehow. John sat up quickly, trying to get a grip in his bearings. For the first time, he noticed a man sitting in the corner, his face hidden shadows. Though he couldn't see the man's face, he was hit with a wave of strong familiarity.

"Who are you? What is this place?" John demanded, using his most serious voice. The man didn't respond, just continued to stay hidden by the shadows. John gritted his teeth. " _Where are my boys?"_

The man sighed. "Your sons are fine."

John wasn't sure why, but he believed him. They sat in silence for a moment before curiosity got the better of him. "Who are you?" John questioned, less demanding this time, and more inquisitive.

The other man seemed to think for a moment. For just a second, John thought he'd wouldn't answer. Then he stepped into the light.

"Dean?!"

The other man nodded and stood. "Yeah, Dad. It's uh-it's me." John could believe it. Though the man was rougher, harsher, and older, everything about him was _Dean_. His face had lost its boyishness and instead was more ruggedly handsome. Long lashes had been replaced by slight wrinkles around the corners of his eyes. This man had been through a lot. Had fought through a lot. His eyes held a sort of hardened look that he seen in his fellow soldiers in 'Nam. It scared him that that look was his son's eyes. He swallowed.

"What happened?"

Dean pursed his lips. "You were pulled through time. You were in 2006? Probably right after the Daeva attack?" Dean asked. John nodded in confirmation, wanting to see where Dean was going with this. "Welcome to 2014."

John looked at the man before him carefully, and nodded.

Dean looked astonished. "You believe me? Your not immediately reaching for the holy water or salt? I could be a-a demon or a monster or something, and you're not even gonna check, or demand the truth?"

"If you had claimed to be anyone else, maybe. But you look like my son, and sound like my son, and no monster I know is creative enough to pose as my future sonsn say I've been pulled through time," John said honestly. "Besides, there's no way you're a monster."

For some reason, Dean flinched at that. "So... where's your brother?" John asked, trying to break up the silence.

For the first time since waking up, John saw Dean smile properly. "He's talking to younger me. That ought to be interesting at the very least."

John snorted. "I'd imagine." He paused for a moment before saying, "You left younger Sam by himself?" That didn't sound much like his eldest.

Dean shook his head. "No, no, we left him with a friend of ours."

"And he's trustworthy?" John was very curious as to who Dean would trust his little (little) brother with. A new hunting partner, maybe?

"Very," Dean said with the utmost confidence. That only increased John's curiousity about this 'friend'. He looked around.

"Where are we?" John asked. "This doesn't look like any motel I've ever been in."

Dean laughed slightly. "That's because we're not. Have you ever heard of the Men of Letters?"

"Yeah, but not much. I've just heard mentions of them from other hunters," John replied. "Are they important?"

"Somewhat. They were this group of people in the US who studied the supernatural. They sometimes worked with hunters, but mostly they kept to themselves. Basically, they were like supernatural nerds," said Dean. "They died off in the fifties after a demon attacked them." Dean paused. "Your Dad was one of the people attacked. He was a man of letters," Dean explained cautiously.

"What?" John said, shocked. He didn't talk much about the father that left him and his mother when he was little. It was still a little bit of a sore spot for him. He listened as Dean told him the story of how they had met his father and acquired the bunker as a home base.

After the Dean finished explaining, John felt overwhelmed. Sitting in front of him was a future version of his son, explaining how his father had come forward in time to sacrifice himself to save his Sam and Dean. Speaking of his sons... "What happened to you, Dean?" John asked.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked in that new, gruff tone of his.

John searched for the best way to describe the differences in his son without offending him. "You're just-" John was interrupted by the sound of a door opening. Swiftly, a new man walked in. Now, John liked to think he was good at reading people. It was an important part of his job. But this new man... well he was different. Something about him seemed otherworldly, except that he looked so normal, it was almost odd.

"Dean-" the man looked at John. "Oh, you're awake. That's good. We were wondering when-"

Before the man could continue, Dean interrupted him. "Cas, what do you need?" Dean questioned tiredly.

"Sam wanted to see you," Cas answered.

"I thought he was watching younger me?"

"No, _younger_ Sam wanted to see you." Dean looked astonished.

"O-okay," replied Dean, confused, but never one to leave any version of his brother unanswered. Dean made to leave, but remembered his father. "What about you, will you be alright?" Dean asked.

John thought about everything he had learned and seen in the short time he had been in the future. Suddenly, he felt incredibly overwhelmed. "You know, I think I'll go back to sleep. Time traveling is apparently exhausting."

Dean looked at his father, assessing, then nodded. "You sure?" John replied yes, then layed on the very confortable bed. He closed his eyes, and waited for the blessed oblivion of sleep to overtake him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello Universe! Sorry I haven't updated recently! The hollidays got in the way of things. Anyway, here is the next chapter for** ** _Shadowed Time._** **Thank you, thank you, thank you to those of you who have left reviews, favorited, or followed this story. There are not enough words to properly express my gratitude. Thanks so much! Now, without further ado, the next chapter!**

~Spn~

Dean awoke to the prickly feeling of someone watching him. He was a hunter and thus was very well aquainted with the feeling. He remembered the Daevas attacking them after Meg died, and it made him uneasy that he was waking up in what was presumably enemy territory. This was why, as soon as he was awake enough to recognize that he was not tied down and someone, most likely an enemy, was steadily watching him, he lept to his feet and into a battle stance so quickly that just about anyone would be startled.

Sam Winchester was not just anyone. The older man had been patiently waiting on the younger version of his brother to wake up when Dean attacked. He hadn't meant to be watching his brother so intently, but he just couldn't help it. This Dean looked so, well not innocent (for Dean had _never_ been innocent), but untainted. Yes, untainted was the word. This Dean had yet to become twisted with the inevitable darkness that encompanies Hell. This fascinated Sam, and so it was no wonder that he was looking at his brother with such an intense look.

Dean shot up and punched blindly, only vaguely recognizing that his enemy was very tall. Sam dodged and tried to disarm his brother, not wanting to hurt him. He attempted to punch again, but Sam was faster. He grabbed Dean's arm and twisted, pinning it to his lower back.

Dean gritted his teeth. "What the hell do you want?" He said agressively.

"Besides you listening for a minute? Not much," a familiar voice replied, but Dean couldn't place it.

"If you've hurt my brother, I'll kick your ass," the man chuckled, and Dean was surprised to find that it didn't sound malicious.

"I think hurting him might be just a little bit detrimental to my health," said Sam, highly amused that Dean was threatening him for possibly hurting himself.

"Hell yeah, it would be," Dean muttered, taking Sam's reply the wrong way.

Sam shook his head, exasperated. "Okay, look, I'm gonna let go of you now, but if you try to hurt me again I'll have to restrain you, okay?"

Dean thought about it for a minute, pondering his options. On the one hand, he could attack him right off the bat and try to escape. Mentally, Dean shook his head. No, he didn't know where he was or how to get out. Better to at least talk to the man and try to get information. Besides, he didn't know about his brother and Dad. After a moment, Dean nodded in agreement.

"Okay," Sam lightly released Dean and steeled himself for Dean's reaction.

Dean turned around, and what he saw nearly made him fall backward onto the bed. Standing before him was a man that looked very, very much like his brother. It couldn't be, could it? "If you're some kind of shape-shifter, then I gotta tell you, you got some things wrong," Dean said. If not for the fact that he didn't know where his real brother and Dad were, he would have ganked this monster impersonating his brother so fast, it'd make your head spin. But, he didn't know how his family fared, so he restrained himself. Barely.

Sam laughed lightly, amused by Dean's earlier comment. "I'm not a monster, Dean, and I _am_ your brother. Well, the future version, anyway," said Sam. He took a deep breath, then gave his brother and intense look of all seriousness, all amusement gone from his voice. "You're in the future, Dean."

In the future? Really? That's what the damn shapeshifter decided to go with? "Uh-huh. Sure we are," Dean replied sarcastically. And then Sam gave him The Look. He tilted his head a little, pursed his lips, and wholeheartedly glared at Dean in a slightly scary way that only Sam was able to accomplish. He had The Look perfected by the time be was two; his tiny arms crossed, baby lips thinned, and huge eyes containing more heat than the burning flames of Hell. The Look only got more intense as he got older, experience adding to the raw skill in the art of irritation that Sam seemed to possess at birth. The man standing before him was wearing an expression that Dean had seen-and had often been the reciever of-many, many times. No one could replicate it, and so unless the fundemental rules of the universe had changed, this man was Sam.

Sam could tell the moment Dean had begun to believe him. Sam had been irritated at the younger version of his brother and so he glared at him, an action that he had done millions of times in the past. Suddenly Dean's green eyes widened, staring at Sam with shock.

"Here, I'll even-" said Sam, bringing out a silve knife and holy water, all the while making sure Dean knew what he was doing. He took the silver knife, abd dragged it actoss his arm, making a short, shallow cut. Then, using the holy water, he poured a little on his hand.

Dean swallowed, an uncomfortably large lump lodged in his throat. "So you're really my brother from the future, huh?"

Sam nodded. "What do you think," he asked, referring to himself.

For the first time, Dean really looked at the man in front of him. He was tall, which in of itself was not surprising because so was his Sam, but where the Sam of the past was lanky with long arms and narrow shoulders, this Sam seemed to have grown into his height. His shoulders were broader, his arms, once long snd skinny, were thuck with muscle. He also seemed to stand a bit differently than his Sam. The Sam that Dean knew almost always stood with his shoulders bent inward, hunched over, like he was trying to make himself as small as possible. This new future Sam, however, kept his back straight, with an almost confident air about him. No, not confidence, _experience_. He looked as though nothing could surprise him. Dean had seen this look before on one person-Dad. Sam looked so much like Dad it scared him. He said none lf this, though. "Dude, you need to fricken cut your hair," he said instead.

Sam laughed. "So you've said. Or will say, At least."

Dean looked at his brother, amused. "Our lives man... so, so weird."

Ssm smiled and began to explain where they were and their current situation. As he listened, Dean noticed that Sam carefully avoided certain details of their past, such as who this mysterious new hunter was and anything revolving the last few months. He set aside his thoughts, intending to ask about them later.

An hour passed, and Sam and the younger Dean were still talking. Both were trying to memorize each other, make sense of the person in front of them. It was strange, for if felt to Sam as if he and his brother were pieces of different puzzles that just happened to fit together. Dean didn't know this Sam, but he was still Sam, and that was enough for Dean. For now at least.


End file.
